Towards a normative model for inventory cost management in a generalized ABC classification system

This paper establishes a general ABC inventory classification system as the foundation for a normative model of the maintenance cost structure and stock turnover characteristics of a large, multi-item inventory system with constant demand. For any specified number of inventory classes, the model allows expression of the overall system combined ordering and holding cost in terms of (i) the re-ordering frequencies for the items in each inventory class and (ii) the inventory class structure, that is, the proportion of the total system's items that are in each inventory class. The model yields a minimum total maintenance cost function, which reflects the effect of class structure on inventory maintenance costs and turnover. If the Pareto curve (a.k.a. Distribution-by-value function) for the inventory system can be expressed (or approximated) analytically, the model can also be used to determine an optimal class structure, as well as an appropriate number of inventory classes. A special case of the model produces a simply structured, class-based ordering policy for minimizing total inventory maintenance costs. Using real data, the cost characteristics of this policy are compared to those of a heuristic, commonly used by managers of multi-item inventory systems. This cost comparison, expressed graphically, underscores the need for normative modelling approaches to the problem of inventory cost management in large, multi-item systems.     

Carriers and sideband pairs and their analogues in physics and Biology

This is a further development of the author's paper A Unified Theory of Biology and Physics. It is found that male and female in biology, as well as particle and antiparticle in physics, are analogues of symmetrical sideband pairs in communication theory. This gives a new point of view from which to investigate the significance and characteristics of these different paired entities.These findings are intimately related to the fact that there are two transform domains of representation of entities in all the cases involved. They are the somatic and the genetic domains in biology, the configuration domain and the domain of conserved observables in physics, and the time and frequency domains in communication.     

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition of Flexible Clap and Fling Elastic Motions via High-Speed Deformation Measurements

Many complex unsteady mechanisms are thought to facilitate the high efficiency and agility commonly observed in small biological flyers. One of these, the flexible clap and fling maneuver, has not been extensively studied; an experimental characterization is the focus of this work. The clap–fling mechanism is approximated with a single flexible membrane flapping wing, replacing the symmetry plane between two wings with a splitter plate simulating the pair wing. This produces a complex vibro-impact aeroelastic problem, the deformation resulting from which is measured with a high-speed visual image correlation system. A low-dimensional representation of the ensuing large data set is obtained with proper orthogonal decomposition. The POD modes, and the relative importance of each, can help elucidate crucial mechanisms and relationships within the flapping system, and are computed for various membrane wing structures and flapping frequencies, with or without the presence of the splitter plate.     

Polyphenolics with Strong Antioxidant Activity from Acacia nilotica Ameliorate Some Biochemical Signs of Arsenic-Induced Neurotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Neurotoxicity is a serious health problem of patients chronically exposed to arsenic. There is no specific treatment of this problem. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathological process of neurotoxicity. Polyphenolics have proven antioxidant activity, thereby offering protection against oxidative stress. In this study, we have isolated the polyphenolics from Acacia nilotica and investigated its effect against arsenic-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in mice. Acacia nilotica polyphenolics prepared from column chromatography of the crude methanol extract using diaion resin contained a phenolic content of 452.185 ± 7.879 mg gallic acid equivalent/gm of sample and flavonoid content of 200.075 ± 0.755 mg catechin equivalent/gm of sample. The polyphenolics exhibited potent antioxidant activity with respect to free radical scavenging ability, total antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Administration of arsenic in mice showed a reduction of acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain which was counteracted by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Similarly, elevation of lipid peroxidation and depletion of glutathione in the brain of mice was effectively restored to normal level by Acacia nilotica polyphenolics. Gallic acid methyl ester, catechin and catechin-7-gallate were identified in the polyphenolics as the major active compounds. These results suggest that Acacia nilotica polyphenolics due to its strong antioxidant potential might be effective in the management of arsenic induced neurotoxicity.     

Hydrogen and carbon NMR data for aminoquinolines and aminoisoquinolines

Hydrogen and carbon chemical shifts and H? H and C? H couplings are reported for six aminoquinolines and six aminoisoquinolines in DMSO-d₆.     

Single-particle model for the frequency dependence of weak infrared absorption in crystals and molecules at T = 0 K

We obtain a simple expression for the infrared absorption coefficient α within the single-particle model at zero temperature. For potentials admitting harmonic approximation, α is found to decrease nearly exponentially with increasing frequency for small anharmonicity, with departures for larger anharmonicity. Potentials which do not admit harmonic approximation display a frequency dependence of the power-law variety. The present results in the quantum limit are similar to those obtained in the classical limit by Mills and Maradudin.     

Nitrogen-15 NMR studies of 1,4-benzodiazepines: 2—The triazolobenzodiazepines

Nitrogen-15 NMR data for a series of 21 triazolobenzodiazepines are presented, including ¹⁵N chemical shifts and substituent effects. The line assignments made by correlation to other model compounds were confirmed by a shift reagent and protonation study. A Yb(dpm)₃ study on alprazolam showed that the molar shifts of the four nitrogens ranged from 35 to 150 ppm.     

Arbeiten mit Nesslers Reagens

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Z charmoniumlike mesons

A brief review of the experimental situation concerning the electrically charged charmoniumlike meson candidates, Z^-, is presented.     

The interdeparture-time distribution for each class in the ∑ i M i /G i /1 queue

A stationary queueing system is described in which a single server handles several competing Poisson arrival streams on a first-come first-served basis. Each class has its own generally distributed service time characteristics. The principal result is the Laplace-Stieltjes transform, for each class, of the interdeparture time distribution function. Examples are given and applications are discussed.